I'm Bryan, new to coffeegeek but not quite new to coffee. I first started around 4 years ago when my grandma gave me an old cafetiere. I scoff at my pre-ground coffee ways now though! I don't have the most sophisticated equipment at the moment, due to budget, but I can crack out decent brews with my V60/aeropress, buono kettle and dualit grinder. I also have a Porlex grinder for travel.

I tend to get my fresh beans (and sample a syphon brew) from a local roastery here in Brighton, UK - Small Batch Coffee Co. I've also got a soft spot for Has Bean, particularly their Kenyan beans, due to an old favourite cafe in my home town, Manchester - North Tea Power.

Being a baker at heart, the chemistry of coffee fascinates me, so I'm sure that I will gain gadgets such as a refractometer over time.

I just signed up today. I found your page as I was researching questions I've had about making latte art (can you use skim milk, can you put syrup in the espresso first, etc.)I've had my Breville BES 860XL for about 3 years but just recently switched form the dual wall filters to the single wall filters (took the training wheels off) and am really working on perfecting the art of pulling consistent rich shots of espresso. Looking forward to the wisdom of your community!

Have been 'lurking' on this site for around a year now, and have finally decided to get involved (since my new job allows me a bit of time at a computer with not a lot to do!)

Live in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire (UK)

I have been 'into' coffee for 6 years now. Started when I took up a job at a bar which had a beautiful espresso machine and grinder, and I was taught by people who actually knew what they were doing (unusual for a bar!). Developed a passion, which (as is often the case at that age) became a 'snobbery' and a year later I could be found strutting around university lecturing others on the rights and wrongs of coffee.Fortunately, for others as much as for me, I learned to just be passionate about coffee, and to embrace other peoples preferences - I mean come on, who can say no to a Mochaccino on a cold winters night?Graduated, and moved back home and took up a job working for a local artisan roastery. Found a coffee shop that was just perfect, and got put in my place by other coffee-geeks.Am now working the 9-5, which pays all my coffee bills.

Love to chat coffee, especially the science side of it, and being quite a 'hands-on' DIY kind of guy I'm intrigued by the 'modding' side of things!

So. Here I am.

Anthony.

As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

I just wanted to chime in and give a quick hello to everyone on the Coffee Geek boards. My exploration of the joy of coffee has been a slow one. For many years I didn’t understand why people would pay so much for coffee when a $20 Mr Coffee and a kilo of Folgers made coffee for a fraction of the cost. A couple of years ago I got a new job that put me next door to a coffee shop that roasted their own coffee and got hooked on the stuff. The place eventually relocated and left me without my fix and I just couldn’t go back to “office coffee” or the Tim Hortons that had sustained me before. This led me on a hunt for a better cup. First was better ground coffee, then whole bean coffee with a push button grinder, then I purchased a new burr grinder. Each step led me closer and closer back to that initial joy of a better cup.

When I went shopping for a new automatic drip brewer I stumbled onto the Coffee Geek forums. Instead of finding a new coffee maker, I found a new hobby, as I starting trying my hand at home roasting. I’ve only been at it for a month or so but already I’ve a distinct improvement in my coffee.

I'm a Norwegian coffee geekess that got her dream job at a tiny coffee roastery. I've been working with coffee for almost a year and a half now, and I love it.

Before I started my coffee career, I would drink instant coffee for the buzz, and because it was fast and easy. Now, I really don't like to touch coffee that's more than a week out of the roaster, or grinded more than a couple of hours ago.

I'm a fan of the fruity El Salvador varietals, and most of the African types I have tasted. Anything fruity or earthy is good in my book. I also liked the Mexican one that tasted like lemon juice. Today I met a hot, dark Brazilian that tasted of dark cocoa.

I can make a decent espresso shot, although I'm far from being a barista. And I've been playing with the company roaster from time to time, but I'm still not good enough to call myself a roaster. I still fail at dropping the coffee at the exact right time way too often. But I'm getting there!

In addition to being a coffee geek, I'm also a gamer, knitter, movie buff, trivia encyclopedia and gourmand. And a lot of other things. I usually label myself as a multi-geek, since I have way too many interests for my own good. Or, at least for my spare time.

Tim here. French press and Moka pots have been my go-to coffee sources. But I've recently scored a Vario and Livia 90 to get the espresso flowing. I've found this forum to be an excellent source of information and entertainment.

Hi!Have been loving coffee for a while and just got my first BRAND NEW machine and grinder, Silvia and Preciso. After a few days of playing around I can see I have a loooonnng way to go to get the best out of the two, but glad to be a part of this community to find all my answers. Cheers!

HELLO!!! I'm new to CoffeeGeek :) I was interested in reading the opinion of others, thought I'd swing by. I do product reviews for a Top 3 consumer publication (which shall remain nameless for a variety of reasons, mostly so I can give my candid opinion without worrying if it gets back to the manufacturer :p)

I'm going to post a question in the (hopefully) appropriate section asking for some current opinions on a topic I've already searched on here. I invite you all to jump in on the conversation!

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